Samenvatting

In this paper delinquent development from age 12 to 32 of 498 juvenile sex offenders is analyzed. Trajectory analysis distinguished five groups: adolescence-limited, adolescence-limited late bloomers, low chronic, high chronic and high declining. These groups are shown to differ on personality, family and background characteristics and type of sampling offenses.Our first conclusion is that juvenile sex offenders generally do not persist in sexual offending. Although the adolescence-limited and low chronic group correspond to Moffitt’s taxonomy, the offenses and characteristics of the groups do not. Therefore, our second conclusion is that juvenile sex offenders criminal careers only partly fit this general theory for delinquent behavior. A special theory for juvenile sex offending is required.